Featured Post

Trading away the dance-pop trifles of their hits for a faceless stylistic shuffle, the duo seems to be tiring of itself, too. We’re going to be stuck with the Chainsmokers forever. Though the unctuous duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall are probably not destined for decades of unqualified success, their insipid spin on EDM’s big-money boom has become as much an eye-rollingly omnipresent part of our national fabric as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Most living humans in the Western world have likely had the unfortunate sensation of having a Chainsmokers hit stuck in their head, as gross as gum on a hot bus seat; after all, their Coldplay collaboration, “Something Just Like This,” seems made only to ooze from department-store speakers for eternity. There’s even a goddamn feature-length film based on the M83-aping “Paris” in development. Like so many modern American atrocities, the Chainsmokers are just something we’re going to have to endure.

Flipboard

Kirk Knight - IIWII (It Is What It Is) Music Album Reviews

The Pro Era rapper finds the middle of the road on his latest project, chasing hot sounds in lieu of finding his own.

As a rapper and producer, Kirk Knight is serviceable at best. He’s a Swiss Army knife, able to bend his vanilla rap style to any production that supports him. His 2015 debut, Late Night Special was a largely tame affair, side-stepping around the thick ’90s air that continuously threatens to engulf Pro Era’s existence. Three years, a collaboration album, (Nyck @ Knight) and an instrumental project (Black Noise) later, IIWIIarrives limply. The rhymes are cool, the beats are OK, and, taken together, it’s mostly tolerable. Truly, it is what it is.

There’s no electric presence to counterbalance the vanilla spirit of his music. Kirk firmly abides by the unspoken rap subgenre rules, refusing to deviate from well-worn pathways to forge interesting trails of his own. IIWII may be only 12 tracks but it feels like it’s dragging its feet to get to the end. His stabs at a hodgepodge of popular styles are just grasping at straws. The album can try and emulate what’s hot to win over fans of all types, but, at the end of the day, the lack of unique options makes it more boring than captivating.

IIWII, very badly, wants to be larger-than-life. “M.O.,” an inspirational, shit-talking diatribe, kicks things off with gusto. It careens along with a decent amount of pep, but its delivery of hashtag #bars are eye-rolling. The inspirational talk works when it curses you out with intense, spit-fire locution, but stingers like “Fly on the wall, I’ve been buggin’ out” will send fresh waves of Big Sean-level cringe trickling down the shoulders.

To be fair, knocking Kirk for his lack of explosive lyricism would be in bad faith. He revealed to UPROXX that his songwriting approach has evolved from just studying the thesaurus, with him focusing more on making relatable music as opposed to the nostalgic flow-heavy rap of his Pro Era cohorts. But there are plenty of artists that easily inject freshness into simplistic rhymes—hell, J. Cole rapped about folding clothes and found a way to make one of life’s most boring tasks sound tolerable.

Kirk’s problem isn’t the intelligence behind the bars or the flows; it’s the energy that drives the train. He chugs on methodically without any surprise, risk, or invention behind it. Occasionally, he shakes things up with melodies like on “Leverage” and “Downtime” where he supports the chorus with smooth vocals for just long enough to marinate the songs without simmering away some of their flavors. But elsewhere, like on “Full Metal Jacket,” the lack of creativity makes it feel like he’s pulling us through the mud. Kirk Knight’s heart is right there underneath his obsession with traditionalism. But chasing every hot sound doesn’t make up for the fact that he doesn’t have one of his own.

Popular posts from this blog

Apple’s latest iPad Pros are a very tempting purchase, but should you stick with the tried-and-tested Surface Pro from Microsoft? We help you decide which tablet to buy. Should I Buy The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Or Apple iPad Pro 11in (2018)?Two very competent 2-in-1s, one running Windows 10, the other iOS 12. For many this difference alone will inform the final choice, but both are top-notch tablets.

You probably know Synology for making NAS drives but the firm has also turned its hand to mesh networks. Here we review the MR2200ac. Should I Buy The Synology Mesh Router MR2200ac?Synology could do a little more to explain the many features of the MR2200ac for first-time users, but the strong performance of this mesh system, and the fine-control provided by its web browser interface make it a good option for business users or home users who have a little more experience of networking technology.

Huawei has updated its budget Android phone for 2019. It’s faster and better than before, but should you buy it? Read our review to find out. Should I Buy The Huawei P Smart 2019?The P Smart 2019 is a great upgrade from the 2018 model with a bigger screen and better performance. However, as with the original P Smart, Honor's version is better value.

Though similar to the OnePlus 6T the Oppo RX17 Pro is very different thanks to the software. Here’s our full review Should I Buy The Oppo RX17 Pro?The RX17 Pro is a great looking phone with good performance and a lush display. But with a Snapdragon 710 rather than the better 845 it’s just impossible not to compare it to the OnePlus 6T which looks the same, has better software for the western market and, importantly, costs less.If you like the look of Oppo’s interface though then there’s a lot to like. The two colour options are premium as is the build quality and the cameras are above average if not great.

We've waited two years for the Nokia 9, and at the end of this month the company could finally put us out of our misery. Here's what we know about the Nokia 9 PureView, which could feature a penta-lens rear camera. Nokia made its comeback to the Android market in January 2017 with the Nokia 6, and we've been waiting two years now for its long-rumoured flagship Nokia 9 to arrive. At MWC 2018 we thought that time was here, and then we got the the Nokia 8 Sirocco. But now the wait could really, really be over, as the Nokia 9 is tipped to land before the end of January 2019.